Moving On
by Iwriteanddream
Summary: When Laura goes to Club Pandemonium she doesn't expect an encounter which would leave her hunted and desired by all sorts of evil, and dragged into the depths of the Shadowhunter world. Nor does she know what to make of Simon Lewis, a handsome young man who she meets along the way.(Contains Canon characters and Sizzy scenes are included)
1. Chapter 1

_Simon tightly clutched Isabelle's hand in his own, never wanting to let go. Her breath wheezed in and out of her lungs and a wet, gargling noise was coming from her throat. Maureen had punctured her lungs- she was drowning in her own blood. The thought of this made Simon cry out and clasp Isabelle's thin hand even harder. She already felt cold to even Simons touch. _

"_Isabelle, I never-"Simon began, but was strangled by his own words. Isabelle simply smiled up at him, her eyes still burning with the fire she had that he loved so much. _

"_I'll love you forever, no matter what," Simon finally managed to spit out through his tears. The blood seeping out of Isabelle's chest made his stomach lurch with both heartbreak and his own sickening hunger for it. Isabelle sharply sucked in a breath of air and moved her lips to speak._

"_Love is about caring about the other person's happiness, Simon," Isabelle said between gasps of pain "You have to be happy without me for my own sake, even if I'm not here,"_

"_I _can't, _Isabelle!" Simon blurted out, furiously wiping away the tears glazing his vision "Not knowing that you'll be alone..."_

"_I'll never be alone, I'll always be with you," Isabelle said calmly, tears now trickling down her cheeks. Her breathing was becoming faster and shallower. She was dying._

"_I love you, Simon" she whispered, her words painfully drawn out. Simon felt her grip on his hand lessen and he watched grief-stricken as the fire that always flared in her eyes smothered out. _

"_I love you too," he said quietly, his voice trembling. With a tranquillity that he did not actually feel, Simon drifted his fingertips over Isabelle's face so they were hovering just above her eyelids. He gently closed them and then that was it. Isabelle was gone. Simon felt his body give into fatigue and he slumped to the ground, resting beside her. When his eyes drifted shut, his hand still gripping Isabelle's, he wished he would never wake up again._

Luminous blues and greens engulfed me as soon as I stepped into the club. I involuntarily inhaled sharply. The room was huge, with several glass staircases leading to higher platforms, and nets of blue lights hung around randomly. Practically every inch of space was crowded with clumps of bodies writhing to the hypnotic rhythm of the music blasting around the club. With pretence confidence, I stepped further into the club. Immediately, it was like a tide washing over me. Before I knew it, I was sucked under the waves of dancing dummies. I felt a hot rush of panic—my heart rate suddenly accelerating. This was not my sort of environment. Too many people; too many shadows cast over the room. Somehow I managed to break away from the throng, and find a space next to some of the stairs. I tried sucking in more air to calm myself down, but it was too hot and clammy. I decided to go up the stairs. The platforms above seemed to have fewer people on them. I adjusted my dress with shaking hands, relieved to have some space to myself. My dress was sea-green, sleeveless, made of a silken material with dip-hem to it. The colour brought out my eyes, though the design of it didn't match my flat chest and slim physique. My golden-brown hair was down, its curls tickling my arms. No matter how dressed up I was, I still didn't belong in this place. In truth, I wasn't sure why I'd come. I was meant to be meeting up with friends to go to a Halloween party. But as I'd walked past the club, Pandemonium, something lured me inside. I felt a flutter in my stomach and turned my attention to looking for the exit from the platform. I couldn't see it. The room was too dark, and there were too many people clustered around. I felt woozy, unstable on my own feet. I grabbed the railing for support. The music was pumping, the room vibrating, the people throbbing with energy. And then it all stopped. Suddenly, the music cut off, and everyone stopped moving. It was like someone had flicked their fingers, and cut off all life in the room. People just stood utterly still, their faces slack and vacant. Something was going on here that was intensely wrong: the whole atmosphere just pulsated with a strange darkness. Then a flurry of movement broke out, a group of people began pushing through the crowd out into a space—about a twenty five metre square—which had miraculously formed. I bit down hard on my lip and sank slowly down to the ground, concealed by one of the large metal pillars around the club. I tried to make my breathing quieter, peering around. There were about five people in the space, four in a line together and one person standing away from the rest of them. I concentrated, trying to hear what they were saying.

"...Don't be foolish Daylighter, tell us where it is," came a sharp sounding voice- from the pitch I could tell it was a young man and his accent had a Spanish lilt to it.

"My name is Simon, _not _Daylighter" said another voice, this one sounding younger- 16 perhaps, so roughly my age "I'm not stupid Raphael- I know you're working with Sebastian," There was a long, stifling silence. Perhaps these men thought it was funny to make things as melodramatic as possible.

"Very well... I had hoped it wasn't quite so obvious," the man- Raphael- finally responded, lazily drawling out the words as he spoke them. I craned my neck further around the pillar trying to get a look at him. From what I could see, he was startling pale with short black hair- handsome, with a captivating aura about him. I couldn't quite see the other boy, Simon. Suddenly Raphael snapped his fingers and then all the clubbers began to move towards the exit, all moving eerily silently. Raphael and the others with him stayed in the same place. Taking the hint, I began to move with the people around me, trying to keep my face blank and emotionless.

"I feel there's no point in keeping them in here, do you Daylighter?" Raphael continued, amusement colouring his tone "Seeing as this is apparently 'non-negotiable' from what you've said," I had now reached the bottom of the stairs, only a matter of metres away from the exit. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me furiously to sprint to the exit, but I forced myself to keep the same trundling pace. Whoever Raphael and the people with him were, they were dangerous. Very dangerous. My heart ached for the boy Simon, or 'Daylighter' as they kept referring him to, and I very badly wanted to go to him. But I didn't even know which one he is- I hadn't dared look to see who he was in case I was caught out. Now I was passing by Raphael- I could feel his icy stare on me. A muscle in my jaw twitched. I was almost at the exit now-practically everyone had filtered out of the room. And then the heel of my shoe caught on the back of my dress, tripping me up. I hissed out a curse and froze. I was the only person left in the club now, other than Raphael, his thugs and Simon. Without even looking back, I began to sprint towards the exit. The distance was closing between me and my escape...


	2. Chapter 2

10 metres, 5 metres... A cold hand clamped onto my arm and wrenched me backwards. With a screech of sudden fury, I lashed out at the person grabbing my arm and raked my fingernails down the side of their face. I would not be beaten. The person- I realised it was Raphael- looked infuriated and jerked my arm back, bending it at such an angle that I was frightened it would snap. Instead of fighting anymore- which would have surely had my arm broken- I bowed my head down in defeat. Raphael smirked at me and slightly loosened the hold, yanking me across the room to where the others were gathered. I felt an intense hatred towards both Raphael and myself- how could I give in so easily? If I was going to die, then the least I could do now was fixate a look of hatred onto my face. I wished that I had never come to club 'Pandemonium', that I had never worn a stupid dress with some stupid, flimsy heels. Once we reached the others, Raphael positioned himself at the front of the formation of his thugs with me in a headlock. Opposite us must have been Simon. If his was the last face that I would ever see, then I wanted to know it well. Even in the dim light I could tell he was very good-looking in an unconventional way. His face was made up of high cheekbones, full lips, and a straight nose. He, like Raphael, had pale porcelain skin but there was warmth to his rich coffee black eyes that Raphael's did not have. His hair was the colour of mahogany, made up of thick curls and was cut in a short and stylish way. His eyes bore into mine, pain visible within them, despite being such a dark colour. I closed my eyes and counted to 3, trying to stop the terror in my heart from spreading to the rest of my body. I would not give Raphael the satisfaction of breaking me.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," I hissed at him vehemently. I cursed myself silently for the tremble in my voice. I felt Raphael's laughter rumble through me and abruptly he pulled my head back, exposing my throat. This was not good- not good at all. I squirmed uncomfortably, but didn't make a move to break the hold- there was enough tension in it to snap my neck.

"Raphael, I don't know where to find it!" Simon blurted out, sounding panicked "there's nothing I can do to help and even if I did know I..." he faltered. Now calm was settling over me, as if I had already accepted my fate. My dread was replaced with a sense of peace; I was able to breathe deeply without air racketing shakily in my lungs. I felt a warm, tingling sensation in my fingertips. Then Raphael sank his _teeth_ into my throat. Then came excruciating pain, as if my all of my senses had been set alight in a blaze of pain. But instead of screaming, I felt the hot sensation in my fingers increase until they felt like they were burning. I used my free hand to grab Raphael's wrist and to my surprise I saw that the skin was being scorched. Raphael let out an inhuman screech of pain and recoiled. I was still in the headlock, though his teeth were no longer wedged in my throat. I grabbed the arms holding me prisoner and was met with a satisfying sizzling sound as Raphael's flesh blistered. He screeched again, but this time I felt his hold loosen and I pushed away from him, breaking out into a run. I collided with a solid shape and found it to be Simons. His expression was a mixture of fear and incredulousness, but without a word took me by the hand and we sprinted towards the exit together. One of the thugs dropped down in front of us, his arms outstretched towards me- I grabbed an arm and watched with a strange fascination as his skin around my fingers began to smoke. He broke away, screaming in agony as the strange fire began to spread up the rest of his arm. I felt sluggish, almost like I was in a daze. I felt Simon tug at my shoulder and I turned away from the burning man. Finally, we burst out of the club into the cold night- but we didn't stop running. It could have been hours or minutes when me and Simon finally slowed to walk, then stopped completely, leaning against a wall for balance. My lungs felt like they were burning and an acrid taste filled my mouth. Simon, to my surprise, seemed fairly unscathed from the whole incident- he had no red marks on his skin like I did and was breathing evenly. His face was still pale, no heat blossoming on his cheeks. For a few minutes, we didn't say anything-he allowed me to catch my breath. Simon was glaring at the wall with a sombre expression and from his stance I could tell he was bothered by something. Perhaps due to the fact we were almost killed, but that's just a guess. Even standing still, there was a lithe grace to him, an ethereal quality to his features. I trailed my eyes elsewhere, not wanting to seem like I was staring, which I had been. I was not used to much attention from boys, regardless of this being a life or death situation. Especially not ones with bewitching auras and gorgeous, silky brown eyes.

"What the hell happened?" I blurted out suddenly, regretting the words as soon as they left my mouth. I sounded like I was glowering, irritating teenager. I turned back to look at Simon, surveying his expression for any hint of annoyance. Why was I over-thinking my actions so much?

"It's... It's hard to explain" was all Simon replied, his eyes scanning mine. My heart fluttered ever so slightly and words suddenly seemed hard to formulate in my mouth.

"Well, can you try?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant "I don't really _think _it's normal to set someone on fire, I don't know about you," Simon flashed a grin in my direction, seemingly amused by what I said. Almost involuntarily, I gave him a small smile in return. I noticed that Simon was wearing a t-shirt with a wry slogan on it; depicting that indeed, one day, geeks will rule the world.

"Fine then, but..." Simon started, but faltered slightly. He seemed to be unsure of something, as if contemplating the consequences of what he could possibly say. I had always thought that the truth should always been spoken, not matter what would could entail afterwards. I fidgeted impatiently for him to finish his sentence.

"It's a long story, so I'll try and keep it short. Those people back there, they were va-vampires," He stuttered slightly, then looked up to consider my expression, which was somewhat composed of me gawking at him about his statement, before continuing "They were after something, something they thought I would have. But I don't," he added quickly. I tilted my head forward in acknowledgement but didn't say anything else. My vision was going in and out of focus and I felt drowsy. Simon frowned at me in concern, moving forward as he did to take me by the elbows. I cursed myself for acting like such a _damsel in distress _and tried to push him away.

"Don't, it's the vampire bite. It induces tiredness, and you've lost blood," Simon said softly, his voice seeming to be receding away from me. I gave him a crooked smile and then toppled to the ground. Simon grabbed me before I could hit my head and lowered me slowly to the floor. My heart was pounding; I felt blood rushing to my cheeks.

"What's your name?" He asked tenderly, every inch of his face etched in concern. It took me a while to ponder over the question in my head, which felt cloudy.

"Laura," I replied, my voice sounding strained and thin, even to my own ears.

"Well then, Laura," Simon responded quietly, his face creasing with what could have been either a smile or a frown "I promise that you'll be fine," The last thing I remembered seeing was the beautiful chocolate of his eyes and then the world spiralled away from me.

_Simon was there to greet me, holding out his hand, a goofy looking grin plastered across his face. My heart gave a lurch and I smiled back, moving forward to take his hand. We were in a large wooden hall with mirrors along the walls and tacky Halloween decorations littered around. There was a throng of people talking to each other and dancing, all looking filled with euphoria. I felt light as air, my feet barely touching the floor. The only thing leashing me to the ground was Simon. I was wearing some form of dress for the occasion, but I barely noticed. I was completely infatuated by Simon- he was like a dark angel, entrancing me with his dark-brown eyes and lithe, graceful movements. He gave me an odd look, one that was magnetic and screamed... hunger. I brushed the sinking sensation in my stomach aside, and instead followed him when he beckoned me outside. All my instincts were now telling me to go back inside, but I didn't want to- I wanted to be with him. Simon guided me to the centre of the room, prowling around like a lion. Strangely, his expressions kept on flickering between panicked and then predatory. I would have felt confused if I had any sense. Suddenly, with certain urgency, Simon gripped me by the shoulders and whispered into my ear "This isn't me, this is a dream, this is _him,"- _his voice sounded strained, as if he was in pain. _

"_Who?" I asked in a light, dreamy tone, which did not feel like my own. Simons face contorted in torment and he tried to formulate the words in his mouth:_

"_Seb-"he choked on the name, his eyes swimming in pain. Then it was all gone. His face was wiped clean of emotion. Abruptly, he grabbed my shoulders and thrust my chin up so I met his eyes directly. It was like I was falling into the night, looking into his big, dark eyes. When he opened his mouth I saw that there were two elongated canines. With a look of contempt in his eyes, Simon reeled his head back and then sunk his teeth into my throat. The world was spinning beneath my feet and I was sent flying to the ground, screaming. _

I jerked awake, sitting up in the bed. Sunlight filtered into the room, casting shadows in the corners. I blinked slowly, trying to make out my surroundings. Everything was blurry; I could only make out smudges of colour. Eventually, my sight cleared and I was in... My bedroom? I whipped my head around frantically, scanning around for Simon, for any sign that last night had been real. I frowned and pressed a hand to my head, my expression something along the lines of incredulous and disappointment. But... it felt too _real _to be a dream. I didn't want to go back to my normal, mundane lifestyle- I wouldn't let this whole thing slip through my fingers. I scrambled out of bed and furiously searched the room for any kind of sign that it had been real. That Simon had been real. After half an hour of rifling around, I finally gave up, deflated. A thought occurred to me when I was pushing my draws back in. My dress. I frantically searched through my wardrobe until I found it, hung up neatly. I traced my fingers along the fabric, seeking for any sign of damage. I had almost given up when my eyes locked upon a small speck of dark brown on the sea-green fabric. Blood; where it would have trailed from my neck, onto the dress. I gingerly prodded at my throat and was greeted by a sharp stinging sensation. I went to my mirror, inquisitively peering at my reflection. My hair was a curly mess, my skin pale- not its usual slightly tanned tone. Bags from tiredness had formed under my puffy eyes that had not been there before. And stark against the skin of my neck were two inflamed red puncture wounds.


	3. Chapter 3

5 days later- 30th of October

The autumn's breeze had turned cold recently; there was more of a bite to the air. Leaves that had left the trees bare scuttled across the pavement, making dry, rattling sounds as they did so. With a shiver, I pushed the door of the coffee shop open and was met with a pleasant rush of warm air. It had only been a few months since I had moved to New York from England, so I was still unfamiliar with all of the cafes in Brooklyn- and there were a lot of them. This one appeared to be called 'Java Jones' as the tacky, mouldering sign outside had depicted. Still, it had a nice atmosphere to it, with comfy sofas scattered around the shop and an aroma of coffee grounds floating through the room. I settled down on a soft seat towards the back of the shop, next to the window and a radiator. After ordering a cup of tea from the waiter- an addiction that had stuck from England- I snuggled down into the chair, enjoying the warmth and comfort. A good place for reflection. I hadn't been able to muster up any kind of 'mystical' flame since the night I went to Pandemonium and it had become increasingly frustrating. Nor had I encountered any 'supernatural' presence recently- I was completely disheartened. The promising puncture wounds I had found embedded in my neck were now an irritating reminder to me that either I was going insane or there was a secret world. A secret world I could not be a part of. No matter how much I wanted to escape the boring one I was living in. I didn't care about the danger, or the hurt, I just wanted something _more _to my life_. _The shop assistant had already come and gone after delivering my tea and I gratefully curled my hands around the mug. The burning sensation from the cup reminded me of the fire I had once made myself. I took a few sips of my tea, allowing myself to relax further in the chair and feel the liquids warmth seep into my veins. I examined my surrounding, simply curious as to what the people around me were doing. A small girl with bright red hair and strange, almost Aztec tattoos on her arms had just stalked into the coffee shop, followed by a taller boy with golden hair and eyes. My heart jumped at the sight of his appearance- he was gorgeous. Tattoos were also entwined up and down his body, I observed. A muscle in his jaw bobbed up and down as he looked around the room. I hoped his eyes would land on me. My dreams were scattered when the red-headed girl latticed her hand through his and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, whispering something to him as she did. He seemed to relax, but still looked slightly rigid and uncomfortable in his surroundings. Almost as if he belonged somewhere else. I shuddered out of my revere and tried to avoid staring, but my eyes kept on dancing over to where he was. He and the girl had sat down fairly near-by, so I was able to vaguely pick up on their conversation.

"Jace, stop acting so uptight, he'll be here in a minute" the red-headed girl muttered, sounding annoyed, but there was playful look in her eyes.

"As entertaining as the_ bloodsuckers_ drama is Clary, I'm not going to wait around for him forever,_" _the boy- Jace- replied venomously.

"Don't call him that, after all that's happened," Clary replied, sounding taken aback "After Isabelle," she practically spat out the last two words and I had to strain to hear them they were said so quickly. The tinkling sound of the cafe bell rang through the room and I was yanked back into reality, not catching the rest of Clary and Jace's conversation. Having said that though, it seemed to have stopped altogether, as their attention had turned to whoever had just come into the shop. The person had dark brown hair, cut short with thick curls atop his head and a tall, supple build. Simon. My heart lurched as soon as I had slowly registered who it was. I hadn't quite seen it so much in the dark night sky, but in the artificial light coming from the lamps in the room I could see how truly ethereal he was. I involuntarily let out a gasp and Simon snapped his head around to look at me. _How the hell had he heard that?_ I saw his eyes widen, and I must have looked stricken too. I whipped my head around and noticed that Clary and Jace were also staring at me with the same quizzical expressions. Simon's mouth opened to make a sound but apparently he was torn, unsure of what he could say. Suddenly I felt a rush to get out, to get out of this coffee shop and never come back again. Maybe I was wrong; maybe I didn't want this life. There was something about Simon's expression that had upset me, more so than having a vampire lodge its teeth in my throat. _I really need to sort out my priorities. _ It was the expression of someone who didn't want me there, who... hated...me? So I left. I gathered all my belongings with haste and hurriedly made my way out of the shop, not bothering to clean up the tea I had spilt. Once out into the bitterly cold air again it occurred to me that it was now fast-approaching night. I ducked my head down, and started taking long, fast strides down the pavement. I wanted to get home. I didn't want to be anywhere near Simon. _Don't lie to yourself_ a persistent voice at the back of my mind jeered.

"Shut up," I scolded myself, seething inside. How could I just walk out of the cafe without demanding anything? I feverishly thrust my arms into the sleeves of my jacket, suddenly feeling a fierce chill in the air. I swerved off down an alleyway as a shortcut home. The alley prodded at the memory of me and Simon catching our breath after Pandemonium, of me looking into his dark eyes with golden brown flecks in them. Then I lost it. I shrieked in frustration and slammed my palm against the cool wall of the alleyway. I let the sobs that had been aching to come out of me be free, not caring for the tears streaming down my face being visible to anyone walking by anymore. Suddenly, I heard a crunching sound; someone behind me had obviously stepped on some rubbish in the alleyway. Grudgingly, I turned to face them, pulling my face into what I hoped was a scornful expression. I let out a yelp of surprise as a hand clamped down over my mouth. My hands flailed out to push them away but found only empty space. The hand was now covering my nose and mouth, preventing any air filling my lungs- they were trying to cut off my air supply. I had to formulate a plan in my head, fast. I allowed my body to slump and my eyes to close, in pretence that I had been subdued. The attacker, obviously fooled, removed the hand from my mouth and I was free to move. As I was being lowered to the ground I snapped my eyes open, thrusting my knee into the person's chest and swinging a punch at their jaw. Taken by surprise, the person staggered back, swearing furiously. I didn't wait for them to recover. I took off down the alleyway, feet hammering against the concrete, my whole body feeling like a string about to snap from tension. My lungs were already burning, each breath searing in my throat and my legs becoming slowly more and more despondent the further I ran. Rain was lashing down at me, making the earth below my feet slick with water. A scream wretched itself out of my throat when without warning I was hit from behind, sending me sprawling to the floor. My head hit the concrete with a blood-curdling crack. My vision clouded over, my thoughts became sluggish and I couldn't breathe. The only thing that felt real to me was the pain resonating throughout my body, my senses pulsating with agony. I could hear someone wailing in anguish in the background. Maybe it was me. The world was spinning at a dizzying rate and yet I remained solidly connected to the ground, tethered to this earth only by the damp concrete pressing into my side. A shadow fell over me, blotting out the moons light. My eyes followed the trail of the shadow and found it connected to a young man. He loomed imposingly above me, his face a mixture of triumph and contempt. He had startlingly white hair and impossibly dark eyes. Dark, similarly to Simon's eyes. But this man's eyes were cold and unfeeling- they were like an endless black void that I was plummeting down. The pain in my body seemed to lessen and I was able to drag myself up into a sitting position, propped up against the alley wall. The man made no move to help or stop me, looking as though he were contemplating something. But behind the thoughtful and calculated expression, I could see a menace and greed in his eyes that terrified me to the bone. I knew there was no point in running- I couldn't even see the exit of the alleyway and my ankle was most definitely sprained. All I could do was scowl at him. Finally, the man spoke.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's your name?" he said; his words came out sharply and coldly.

"Laura," I responded meekly- I hadn't known him long, but already I could sense that if I didn't comply, this man would do terrible things to me. I shuddered at the thought, thoroughly disturbed by it.

"I am Sebastian," he informed me shortly, in a clipped tone "And you're what we've been looking for," a shiver raked its way down my spine at his words, ice now tingling in my veins. The sentence would have sounded ridiculously melodramatic, had it not been for the ice in his tone as he uttered it.

"Though I must say I was expecting someone a bit more..._monumental," _he continued, drawing out the last word, extenuating each syllable. I gritted my teeth, biting back a retort.

"You'll do though, don't you worry about that," he went on, his gaze completely fixated upon me causing me to shift uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Seemingly amused, Sebastian lazily reached down and yanked me up from the ground. I struggled against the hold, but Sebastian didn't seem to notice my strife for freedom and simply tightened his grip on my arm. However, I had to somewhat support myself using his arm, as much as I hated it- my ankle felt tender and I couldn't put pressure on it.

"What do you mean?" I demanded, the sentence tumbling out of my mouth, still fighting his hold "Why would you be looking for me..." I stopped speaking midriff, the words seeming stupid even as I said them. Sebastian didn't say anything, just gave me a slow, voracious smile that spread across his face, creasing the skin at the corner of his eyes. He was very attractive, for a psychopath. I mentally shook myself, averting my thoughts from _that _track. Sebastian chuckled softly; the air from his mouth blowing against my skin- it was warm and had an incense of burnt wood to it. I felt a sickening sense of attraction to him that made my stomach to twist. I hated myself for my shallowness, for being attracted to a man that had clearly something _wrong _with him. Without a sound, or any warning, Sebastian scooped me up into his arms. Before I could fight him off, however, he began scrawling a strange symbol onto my arm with a strange metal rod that had suddenly materialised in his hand. It was oddly similar to the tattoos I had seen lacing Jace and Clary's arms, but instead of an inky black, this tattoo was a blood red. I opened my mouth to say something, but I was robbed of my voice. I tried to move my arms and legs in an attempt to get away but my limbs would not respond. My entire body suddenly relaxed completely, leaving me limp in Sebastian's arms, my head lolling and my eyes unseeing. _Damn it, I will not give in so easily _I told myself sternly. I would not be some pathetic little girl. I heard a shout from behind me, which distracted Sebastian, who had almost finished scrawling the tattoo onto my skin. I managed to conjure up enough energy to use my fingers, which I wielded to scour my fingernails down Sebastian's arms. Purely out of shock more than anything else and the distraction from the shouting behind, he dropped me. I hit the ground with a thud, the impact with the wet concrete jolting my senses back into action. I scrambled to my feet and moved just in time to avoid the shape that hurtled toward Sebastian, knocking him down. The shape and Sebastian were fighting on the ground now, throwing punches at each other and grappling for each other's throats. Blood was now tingeing the puddles of water on the ground a revolting translucent crimson. I pulled myself up from the floor with shaking hands, pressing my back up against the narrow alleyway wall. Sebastian threw the shape off of him, sending the person shooting through the air. Miraculously, they landed on their feet, only a few metres away from me, within an arm's reach. They twisted to face me and I immediately recognised the face that had been haunting me for week's now- Simon. The look on his face was heart-breaking, a cross-over between scepticism, apprehension and... Relief? Did he care about what happened to me? His mouth bobbed open, as if about to say something but was cut off by Sebastian grabbing him by his hair and slamming his head against the wall. I shrieked out Simons name and before I had time to consciously decide what I was about to do I ran at Sebastian. Once I reached him, I grabbed him by the forearm and watching with satisfaction as his skin sizzled beneath my touch. My fire was back again. This time I felt different, more powerful almost. It was like my instincts took over as I raised my other hand and flicked my wrist to the side. The effect was immediate- Sebastian made a choking noise and toppled backwards, his face very red all of a sudden and his chest heaving as he tried to suck in air. Somehow, I had cut off his oxygen supply. I studied him with a cold, unfeeling look. His eyes no longer looked sadistic, more pleading, when his gaze locked upon mine. I should have stopped, I needed to stop. It wasn't me, no matter how terrible this man was. It was like breaking the surface of water after staying beneath the surface too long when I snapped out of my daze. I suddenly broke free and any connection I had with Sebastian cut off, releasing him. I cringed and flinched away, shocked at myself. Sebastian was panting, heaving out heavy breaths of air, a hand pressed against his chest. His pitch black eyes were observing me, his face a spasm of pain, anger and _admiration. _I was completely bemused by him. It felt like eternity as we glowered at each other, our eyes locked in an internal battle. Abruptly Sebastian severed the eye contact and then he gave me one last, meaningful sneer. The look was disturbing enough to make me recoil. And then Sebastian dissolved into the night, the shadows folding over him and embracing him into their arms. He was gone.

As soon as Sebastian disappeared, I rushed over to Simon who was slumped against the wall, blood leaking down his forehead. He straightened his back when he saw me and then was standing up beside me in a sudden blur of movement. We studied each other for a moment and then the next Simon had taken me tightly in his arms. I relaxed into the embrace and clasped my hands together tightly behind his back. No warmth radiated from his body and I couldn't feel a heartbeat, but the sound of his soft breathing made me feel strangely tranquil and calm. I knew that all good things must come to an end, though. And yet evil never ceased to exist. Simon gently pulled away from me and I broke off the hold completely, taking a step back. A part of me went hollow and pleaded for more but I ignored it.

"What is going on?" I demanded, this time not bothering this time to conceal my upset and annoyance at being kept in the dark. Simon consulted me carefully for a few seconds, eyes flickering back and forth over my face. And then he explained everything to me.

"There are deeper aspects to our world than you would ever think possible," he began, flourishing his hands as he did so "There are those who live secretly amongst us- Downworlders such as vampires, werewolves and Warlocks- and then there are also Shadowhunters,"

"What are Shadowhunters?" I asked quietly.

"Shadowhunters are half angel, half human and they kill Demons," he said simply, looking at me as if checking if I was coping- I tilted my head forward to encourage him to continue "Demons don't belong in this world, they have no soul- from them Downworlders spawn but... Downworlders do have souls," he trailed off slightly. I waited patiently for him to elaborate- my mind was taking it all in very slowly anyway.

"Sebastian is a Shadowhunter; but he is also part demon. He has a sister, Clary, who is the opposite- she's more angel than most Shadowhunters," he continued; the name rang a bell and I scrunched up my face trying to remember who it was- then it clicked. Clary and Jace from the cafe. No wonder they had been staring at me and Simon.

"Clary is my best friend and that's how I got dragged into this all. I used to be a mundane," he went on and I pulled a puzzled face at the last word. I knew what the definition of mundane was but I didn't quite understand its exact context to this.

"Human," Simon added hastily, after seeing my expression. I didn't say anything for a moment, contemplating if there was anything actually to say.

"What are you then Simon?" I inquired; trying to keep the tremble from my voice- I already knew the answer.

"I'm a vampire," he replied as smoothly as he could, but his voice tightened at the last word, as if it tormented him. I grimaced and moved forward to place a hand on Simon's shoulder- he stiffened when I did.

"It's okay..." I started, but another question was tugging at my mind "So how can you walk in daylight?"

"I drank some of Jace's blood- he's Clary's boyfriend- and he is slightly more angelic than most other Shadowhunters too, so when I drank his blood I became..."

"...The Daylighter," I finished for him- he winced, but didn't say anything more to correct me "I'm sorry that this happened to you," I said and I was. The look on his face ripped at my heart, and I felt tears prickle in my eyes.

"I kind of asked for it though, going into a world I didn't belong to-"

"No you didn't you were just looking out for your friend. That's what friends do,"

"It was more than friendship," Simon said with a slight hesitation before doing so "I loved her," It was like I'd been hit in the stomach by the words, and I almost staggered back as if I had actually received a blow. A heat bloomed in my cheeks and I twisted my head away, not wanting to meet his eyes again.

"I don't anymore, I found someone else but..." He hesitated and my heart was slowly becoming more and more crushed and compressed "A girl called Maureen killed her," he said finally. I snapped my head up sharply at his last words, my emotions a horrifying mixture of disbelief, empathy for Simon and... Relief. I hated myself for it; I couldn't believe the thought that this girl he had loved was dead had lessened the weight on my chest.

"Simon... Do I belong in this world?" I asked quietly, diverting the conversation to something less sickening and painful.

"Obviously, if you almost killed Sebastian and set fire to Raphael," he responded immediately, a hint of half-hearted humour to his tone despite the seriousness of topic we had just discussed- maybe he was trying to derail the conversation as well. The rain started to pummel down on us again and I shivered. Simon, noticing this, took my hand and began to guide me out of the alleyway.

"Where are we going?"

"My apartment, seeing as I think you're Downworlder and they can't enter the Institute," he informed me shortly. My eyebrows shot up on my forehead, utterly sceptical about what he had just stated but Simon didn't even seem to notice this. We carried on walking down the alleyway, still hand in hand- I liked the cold pressure of his fingers wrapped around mine. It made me feel like I had finally found someone who would support me, no matter what. I tightened my grip on his hand, not ever wanting to lose that feeling. But the world was not kind to people like me and I was acutely aware how things had to end. And they always did.


	5. Chapter 5

"_Come on Isabelle, just a little further, we can make it," Simon said, as he carried Isabelle in his arms. Even as the words slipped past his lips he knew he was a liar. Finally succumbing to his injuries, Simon collapsed to the ground. It was almost peaceful, despite the war raging around them, that he was laying side by side the girl he loved. He refused to accept the fact she was dead. Isabelle couldn't be- she burnt so fiercely, with so much fire that there was no possible way her flame could be smothered out. But it was. And there was nothing he could do to save her, not now, not ever. One thing was clear in Simon's mind, however, one thing that he believed with complete conviction. He would find Maureen and Sebastian and whoever had even been the slightest bit involved in her death. And he would kill them. _

I woke to the sound of birds chirping jovially outside the window of Simon's bedroom. I snuggled my head further down into the pillow, relishing the homely warmth of being embraced by the covers. I blinked the bleariness clouding my vision away and spent some time taking in the room around me. It had a sleek, modern flair to it from the pearly white walls to the glossy wooden flooring. Various posters were stuck onto the walls, referencing all kinds of different geeky games, like a large map of Skyrim and a diverse collection of World of Warcraft banners. A smile tugged at the corners of my mouth and I was reminded of my brother who was also a hardcore nerd. After our parents had died I had to move in with our Aunt in America but Tristan had been able to remain in England, as he was eighteen by that time. The main reason he had stayed there was probably due to the fact it was too painful to leave the home we had grown up in. And yet I was ripped away from that against my own free will, and brought to some alien country. I guess it made sense that everything was becoming entirely surreal in my life now on top of losing everything I had once known. I really ought to try and stay more positive... At least I had made friends at school- but even then, it didn't feel the same as it did with my English friends. Change is good, I understood that. But with change things will never be quite as they were before. There was a sudden, persistent rapping at the door and I begrudgingly went to open it, using the time to tear myself out of my reverie. When I opened it I was shocked to not see Simon at the door, who I had originally expected it to be, but yet _another _handsome looking young man. I internally rolled my eyes, and couldn't help but think my life was increasingly becoming more and more like one of those Supernatural dramas that you would see so frequently on TV that were always stuffed full of equally beautiful and elegant actors and actresses. The boy in front of me was tall, tanned and had twinkling hazel-green eyes with perfectly styled golden brown hair to top it all off. It felt like recently my heart was fluttering so much that it was something I was just going to have to become accustomed to.

"Yes?" I asked failing to disguise the aggravation in my voice- it wasn't this person's fault that they had knocked at a bad time.

"I'm Jordan," the boy said indifferently, despite my aggressive tone- his voice had a lovely melodious sound to it.

"Sorry if I sounded rude, you just caught me at a bad time," I said hesitantly, as if I was worried he was about to strike out at me. This Jordan had a strange, almost animal, aura about him.

"Nah, dude, its fine we all have those days," Jordan said, nodding his head up and down with empathy.

"Dude?" I inquired amusedly. Jordan simply gave me a wry wink and pushed off from the door frame he had been leaning on and strolled away, back to his bedroom I assumed. Instead of sitting back down and moping around I took off down the hall of the apartment, my mind prickling with curiosity as to what the rest of it looked like. Last night, when me and Simon had arrived, all the lights had been off and it had been too dark to pick out many details of the apartment. I padded across the wooden floor surfacing that appeared to cover the whole of the apartment's floor into what I guessed was the main living area. To the western side of the room there was a polished looking kitchen, with a separate counter opposite it that acted as a table to eat on, that had a nice, stylish decor. Towards the eastern side, that I guessed acted as the living room of the apartment, there was a clump of plush looking furniture like a futon sofa and mismatched arm chair. Attached to the wall was an expensive looking flat screen TV. Randomly placed around the room were many different bookshelves and surfer posters- there was also, unsurprisingly, a massive collection of video games on the coffee table. After having had a fitful and unpleasant night's sleep, I headed over to the kitchen, my veins yearning for some caffeine- in the form of tea, of course. I suppressed a smile, laughing silently over my obsession for it- I must look _so _typically English. After attacking the kitchen cupboards I was disappointed to find only instant latte sachets- I had always found any form of coffee to be too bitter for my taste. Regardless, I still made some and resentfully choked it down my throat, sat on one of the stools by the counter facing the living room as I did so. Halfway through my internal struggle with drinking the coffee Simon walked in looking thoroughly dishevelled yet still smouldering as usual. I punished myself for this thought by taking another lungful of piping hot latte down my already scorched throat. Simon looked up when he noticed me sat on one of the stools and gave me a crooked smile where one corner of his mouth went up before the other. His normally thick, curly hair had different tufts of it sticking out randomly and the droop to his eyes told me he had just woken up. As he scooted down to sit next to me, I surreptitiously stole glances at him, wanting to know every inch of his face with clarity, knowing that eventually I'd have to leave his side.

"So what are we doing today then?" I burst out with false verve, wanting to steer my mind off of any troubling topics "Another action packed day where at least once during the process we end up down an alleyway?" I asked him, a light-hearted smile curving my lips.

"Well, hopefully not," Simon replied, in turn flashing me a small smile of his own "We're going to see the Seelie Queen"


	6. Chapter 6

"What I don't get is why we can't just ask Magnus!" I heard Clary complaining from next door to Jace. I bit down on my lower lip in irritation, but didn't do anything to retaliate.

"Because Magnus doesn't know," snapped Magnus, who had obviously just materialised out of nowhere from the sound of somebody- probably Clary- letting out a gasp of surprise and mild annoyance when he suddenly spoke. I had become properly aquatinted with the whole of 'Team Good' now, which consisted of; Simon, Jace, Clary, Magnus Bane- a glittery warlock, Alec Lightwood (who just so happened to be going out with Magnus), Jordan and another girl called Maia. Incidentally, Jordan and Maia were werewolves. Now there's a surprise.

"'Why are you speaking in the third person Magnus?' Simon asks curiously," Simon said, laughing even after I heard Magnus slap him. I turned my attention back to my reflection to scrutinise myself further. I had, reluctantly, allowed Clary to thrust me into some alleged form of 'fashionable' attire that made me feel extremely self conscious.

"That's the price of fashion!" I mimicked in Clary's chirping tone- I wasn't very fond of her. That or I wasn't very fond of the fact Simon used to have a thing for her. I could see why; Clary was very glamorous and unconventional in her looks. I gritted my teeth in jealousy, ruefully wishing I had the same alluring quality that she apparently had. After having showered earlier on in the day (after the dress picking, of course), I had then been dragged out and sat in front of a mirror by Clary and Maia for a complete makeover. I glared morosely at my reflection, further examining the dress I had been plonked in. It had long sleeves on the arms and the hem of the dress was about two or three inches above my knee. The material was black and lacy, meaning I had to wear another (but thinner) sleeveless black dress underneath so you couldn't see anything too revealing through the material. I liked how the lace looked on the bare skin of my arms, as the intricate patterns woven into it stood out starkly against my fair skin. I hadn't allowed Clary to straighten my hair, so it was left in its usual curls. However, I did concede at one point and allow Clary to grip back sections of my hair so it didn't fall into my eyes. The shoes she had picked for me were some simple ballet flats and I gratefully slipped my feet into them. At least Clary had drawn the line at high heels and excessive makeup- I only had a very minimal amount of mascara on. I gave my reflection one last despairing look then flounced out of the bathroom. The reason I had to get dressed up was that we were visiting the highly prestige Seelie Queen, who apparently would know _what _I am. And in order to actually meet with the Queen, we had to attend the masquerade ball she was hosting. According to Jace, the Seelie Queen was not to be trusted and it would be best not to visit her by travelling into the Fair Folk realm. The Fair Folk, or the fairies as they were better known as Simon had helpfully told me, were another form of Downworlder. They were seemingly keepers of great knowledge and would know what kind of species I was, from what Jace had been telling me. But still not to be trusted. Anyone who supposedly was allied to Sebastian was someone I could never trust. I found everyone else in the hall, dressed up similarly to how I was- in mostly black and white. My eyes flew over to where Simon was stood and I quivered ever so slightly. He looked elegant and as always handsome in a black suit that complemented his physique, a white creaseless shirt and... High top shoes. I tried to conceal my smirk when I saw them.

"You look nice," Simon told me, a slight insinuation of nervousness coming from the tremble in his voice when he said it. I blinked up at him and smiled modestly.

"As interesting as budding teenage romance is, we ought to be going," Magnus announced, while examining his glittery nails.

"It's not a budding romance," Simon replied quickly, making me flush with embarrassment and hurt.

"No, more like teenage angst;" Jace chipped in unhelpfully "Any kind of drama is amusing in my books, especially yours Bloodsucker,"

"You know you're really irritating right?" Simon said bitterly

"How dare you even insinuate that I am anything but perfect?" Jace said with mock horror and hurt. I rolled my eyes and when I looked across the room I saw Alec doing the exact same thing. I decided I liked Alec. He was similar to me in the sense that he was on the fringes, watching everything going on silently, too shy to contribute much to the conversation. But of course there was also that fight in him that all Shadowhunters seemed to have. Magnus, on the other hand, was loud and boisterous. His dramatic makeup and obsession with glitter only solidified these personality traits. He was definitely likeable though. Him and Alec made an odd pairing, being opposite ends of the spectrum. At the same time, however, their personalities complimented each other and they were clearly in love. My reverie was interrupted when Clary handed me a black masquerade mask to put on at the party. It was etched with patterns alike to those on a butterfly's wing. A masked ball on Halloween night- this was going to be interesting. I was going to find out who I really was. I was going to find my place in the world. Everyone started to move towards the door then. Striding out of the apartment, in Simon and the others wake, I felt excitement and anticipation and happiness that I hadn't felt since my parents had died. If only I'd known everything was going to completely shatter, then I would have stopped myself from feeling it in the first place.

"Glamour's are a type of spell that makes everything underneath the Glamour invisible to those who are none-the-wiser" Jace told me once we reached an old, run down looking church structure on the outskirts of New York "What you've got to do is peel it away, and then you'll see what's underneath for what it really is," I closed my eyes, clearing my mind as I did so. I tried to focus on my breathing and my surroundings instead of the clamour of voices going on in my head telling me how ridiculous it all looked. When I opened my eyes again I almost staggered backwards. Towering above me was a glorious and exquisite building with marble columns and walls. It had the architectural structure of an old roman construction.

"That's brilliant," I exclaimed, beaming at the others. They all just smirked at me and put their masquerade masks on. I followed their example with my own. Someone slid their arm through mine and I was gratified to see it was Simon. He gave me a shy, apologetic look and then relaxed when I didn't remove my arm from the link. With that, we strode up the cobblestone pathway up to the door. It was made of a gnarled oak wood and had a large brass door knocker on it. Jace was the one to rap at the door and we all stood back warily, waiting patiently for it to open. I was about to say something when the door was flung open and a man with green skin ushered us in. Maia, who was standing on my other side prodded me and gave me a stern glare that told me not to gape at him. As soon as I looked away from him I was blown away by the interior of the building. It, like the exterior, was entirely made out of marble which shone in the light from the massive glass chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. There were large pillars everywhere and a set of stairs leading to a platform an outer balcony. Spanning across the middle section of the ceiling was a huge skylight, through which light from the moon seeped into the building, casting a pale illumination across the floor. There were people scattered around, all wearing masks and expensive gowns and suits. Some people- fairies I guessed- had wings protruding from their backs, others multicoloured hair and skin. Obviously the other types of Downworlder had attended the ball, as I could tell from the gracefulness of the vampires and uncivilised, wolfish behaviour of the werewolves. The one thing that perturbed me was the fact that there were some very human looking guests strutting around the room too...

"Mundanes," Jordan said, as if reading my mind "I'm guessing they were brought here as guests, or lured in,"

"Isn't that against the accords?" Clary asked, her face scrunching up in concern. The accords were, as I had been informed earlier, the rules set down by the Shadowhunters that Downworlders had to abide by unless they wanted to 'get a knife lodged in their stomach' as Jordan had nicely put it. It seemed unfair to me that the Shadowhunters could be as ruthless as they wanted to be without any sort of repercussion and Downworlders couldn't, but I hadn't mentioned it.

"Not unless one of them gets hurt, no," Jace replied for Clary- he was looking agitated and there was tension in his limbs.

"Oh, fabulous!" Magnus trilled, his voice dripping with sarcasm "Let's get mingling," so we mingled. I tried to stay close to Simon, but it was difficult seeing as I couldn't actually tell if it was him or not because of the masks. Eventually, I stopped trying and instead followed Clary and Maia to a table with a bunch of drinks littered across it- it was easy to recognise Clary with her bright red hair. We kind of just stood around, not talking, searching through the crowd for the Seelie Queen. Apparently, she was immediately recognisable even to those who had never seen her before. One of those auras about her, Clary had said. I took a glass from the table and traced my fingers around the top of it, not planning on drinking it. I needed something to occupy my hands with. I often fidgeted when I was nervous. I peered across the room and saw Magnus and Jace talking to a woman- the Seelie Queen. It was quite clearly apparent from the way she held herself and tossed her hair. Jace and Magnus had their faces drawn into grim expressions whilst they spoke to the Queen. I shuddered at the sadistic look in her eyes. Clary and Maia had also noticed the exchange and were completely transfixed by it now. I felt someone slid in beside me, so close their arm touched mine. I shifted slightly, and turned my face up to see who it was, expecting it to be Simon. It was not. It was a tall man with short, spiky hair and many rings that adorning his ears and fingers. I couldn't see his features behind his masquerade mask, but I could see he had piercing, icy eyes. I gave him a disgruntled glare because of his overtly close proximately to me and shuffled further away from him. My head felt suddenly very heavy and my eyelids drooped. I glanced down at the drink in my hands- it didn't look like water anymore and instead was a translucent blue liquid. I felt the man's glare on me again and when I met his eye this time it was like a switch had been flicked in my mind. With no conscious decision to do so, I took a sip of my drink. I no longer felt the man's arm against mine and leant back onto the table behind me for support. Everything in the room was suddenly too bright and my thoughts were swirling around in my head like an incoherent torrent. Simon was suddenly stood in front of me, grasping my shoulders in his hands. His lips moved, forming words of worry. I shook my head, trying to convince him that I was fine and brushed off his hands from my shoulders. I staggered away, wanting to be out in the refreshing, outside air again. I was still absent-mindedly clutching my drink in my hand. Simon materialised in front of me again and this time his expression demanded my full attention.

"Laura, don't drink that," he said, ripping off his mask as he did so "Last time I had a fairy drink I was turned into a rat,"

"A rat?" I echoed dreamily. I dangled the glass in front of my eyes and examined it- was it meant to be blue? I overlooked the speculation and continued to make my way to the door, ignoring Simon's protests. I needed to get out of here, I needed to be outside. It was as if it was essential thing I had to do. No choice in the matter. The compulsion to do so was dragging my feet towards the exit. Everything I saw was covered in a foggy veil and my vision kept zooming in and out of focus. This time, when Simon stood in front of me, I shoved him out of the way. He looked strangely crestfallen, but I ignored it. I was at the door now. I pulled it open and stepped outside, greeted by a refreshing breeze. My senses were now feeling completely blunt and I just wanted to give in to the fog blanketing my mind and go to sleep. A shout came from over my shoulder and I whirled to see Simon screaming at me, horror dawning on his face, his features etched with disbelief. His fists were pounding against the air, as if he were banging an invisible wall. The glass slid from my hand and burst apart into shards on the floor, spraying the liquid contents upwards. I tried to start towards him but my legs felt too weak to even take a step forward. I whipped my head up to look at Simon, my face aghast with terror. Suddenly, a pair of cold hands slid underneath my arms and lifted me from the ground. I tried to scream for Simon but the only thing that came out of my throat was a wrenching choke. Every muscle in my body went slack and limp. I could still see Simons face, contorted in fear as he yelled for me. His deep, silky brown eyes were gleaming with tears. And then the door of the building slammed shut, cutting me off from him. I felt my head loll back and then the darkness folded over me, dragging me into its depths.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke to the sound of dripping water resonating through the room. When I opened my eyes I saw that there was only a little bit of light filtering into the room from a single window high up on one of the walls. It was numbingly cold and an intense shiver worked its way down my spine. One of my hands was resting on the floor, which had the rough texture of stone. I sat up abruptly and clambered up to my feet, panicked. Where the hell was I? The light was so sparse I could barely pick out any details of my surroundings. I staggered around groggily, my hands searching aimlessly in front of me for any kind of object. I collided with some metal bars suddenly. I had to squint to see through them properly. As soon as I saw what was on the other side I wished I hadn't looked. A man was suspended above the ground, chained by his arms and throat. Blood was surging down his body from several ragged slices latticed across his bare chest. Slowly, almost against my free will, I turned my face upwards and saw a clump of chains hanging from the roof of my room as well. My heart gave a lurch. I felt myself wobble and I careened away from the bars until my back slammed into one of the stone walls and my legs buckled beneath me. Then the hysteria took over. A cry wretched itself from my throat and my face was soaking wet with the tears streaming down my face. This couldn't happen to me, I couldn't end up like that... I sank further down on the wall until I was on the floor again. I jammed my fist against my mouth to stop the screams. My chest was heaving and convulsing as the tears wrecked their way through me. I jerked out my legs and slammed them against the floor repeatedly, taking out my fear and frustration. Eventually, when I realised that crying would make no difference, I staunched the water from my eyes. I leant my head against the wall, still hiccupping occasionally. I curled myself into a ball and began to cradle myself. The gentle rocking back and forth motion helped me calm myself down and allowed my mind to clear. I thought of Simon, of his warm, dark chocolate eyes that always seemed so kind and intelligent. I wanted to feel his arms around me, to feel his lips mould against mine. Another gasp ripped itself out of my mouth. But I would never feel any of those things if didn't _think. _If I didn't try. I had to formulate a plan; I had to draw on strength not only from myself but from Simon. He made me strong, he made me feel alive. More so than I had ever felt before. I wouldn't let that slip through my fingers again, not knowing that he was out there. The droplets running down my face were not of self pity now- they were of determination. I pulled myself to my feet again and strode up to the metal bars. Of course, _metal- _they could be melted. With all the emotion and power I could implore myself to do; I grabbed the bars and tightly gripped them. The effect was almost immediate. I felt the metal, which had once been hard, go tender beneath my touch and sag. I could simply pull them away now and they bent to my will. I made large gap and squeezed through it. Hope was blossoming in my heart now, as if it had been a once wilted flower that had been repressed by a cold winter's night. I gave the man suspended from the chains a rueful last glance, then took off sprinting down a corridor behind him. I was already aware of the fact he was dead and if I stayed here I would join him. The corridor was lined with hundreds of chambers similar to my own. Occasionally I would see another corpse dangling from some chains. The world swerved suddenly and I had to slow to a jog and allow myself to throw up. My face was slick with ice-cold sweat and I was trembling with revulsion. Everything about this whole compound was disturbed, some kind of distorted version of a jail. Somehow, eventually, I straightened my legs up again and carried on running. I could see a pale light looming ahead of me, my escape. I put on a burst of energy and picked up my speed. I pumped my arms faster and lengthened the stride of my legs. My muscles were screeching in agony, my heart hammering, exertion searing through my lungs. Finally, I came into contact with a spiral of stairs, from which light was shining down. I took the stairs two at a time, my pulse drumming in my throat. They seemed to go on for eternity. Vertigo hit me suddenly, a blow to my side, sending me teetering around with disorientation. _Stay calm; remember why you're doing this. _Another wave of tears washed over me, this time from desperation. I wanted to see Clary and Maia, to hear Jace's cynical remarks again. My arms twitched, aching to be wrapped around Simon. And so I jolted back into action, racing up the stairs. I had the determination, the passion to do this. I had to do this. When I reach the top of the stairs dizzying relief showered over me, sending a flush of hot air down my body. I was now in an expansive, wooden hall, mirrors lining the walls. I was bizarrely reflected in each of the mirrors, each warping my appearance. Gaudy Halloween decorations were swinging from the ceiling. _Is this some kind of a sick Halloween joke? _It occurred to me I was still wearing my dress from the masquerade ball. I realised there was another person in the hall with me, their head hung low. I recognised them straight away.

"Simon?" I breathed; my voice and expression sceptical. His head whipped up at the sound of his name, disbelief written all over his face. Before I could say anything else, there was a flourish of movement and the mirrors around us opened up like doors and people came flooding in. _What the hell?_ A man brushed past me and with horror it dawned on me that it was the man who had been hung outside my cell. But he was supposed to be _dead. _A stain of blood was visible through the crisp white shirt he was wearing. Andhe was moving none-the-less, talking animatedly with the other people who had come in with him. This was becoming increasingly familiar... And then it clicked. I had had a dream about this. Music began to eerily echo through the hall. It was supposed to be sound slow and romantic I guessed but, like everything else in this place, was twisted. It sounded more like the shrill music you would find in a horror movie. Alarm gathered in my chest, and a stormed towards Simon, shoving the suddenly energised corpses out of my way. Simon was still stood frozen on the spot, not a single hair out of place. Something was wrong, very wrong. Tears were welling in my eyes again and when I reached Simon I threw myself at him. The pressure of his body against mine felt rigid and the next thing I knew he had shoved me away. I stammered away, shocked and hurt.

"Simon, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, failing to disguise the accusation and heart-break out of my tone. He shook his head vigorously, throwing one hand up to warn me away.

"Don't come any closer," he said quickly, his face contorted in a grimace "Just go, you need to get out of here" Suddenly my chest was heaving as if he had given me a physical blow- my heart felt as though it was shrivelling up. Tears were trickling down my cheeks. I was too tired and weary for this back and forth thing with Simon.

"Laura, I'm sorry I didn't mean-"he began, seeing my face, but I cut him off sharply.

"No, don't bother," I said venomously, not bothering to wipe away my tears "There's nothing to say, I get the message," Simon didn't move an inch towards me; instead he stayed glued to the spot. Doesn't he care about me at all? His eyes were anxious, flitting around the room nervously. This infuriated me even more.

"You never tell me anything," I screamed at him, my voice becoming increasingly shrill as I yelled "and I'm _fed up of it!"_ Sobs were wrecking their way through my body now but I didn't care anymore. The animate bodies around us continued to sway, completely unaware of anything going on. I let out a wail of fury, all of my emotions suddenly becoming overwhelming. Confusion, hurt, fright... Everything was just too much. I wrapped my arms around myself, allowing the pain to turn into lividness and lose control. It was so much easier to hurt those around me than to be the one hurting. And I had hurt enough.

"Laura-"

"You don't care about me so stop pretending you do," I spat out bitterly, "You're just using me to make Clary jealous!" I was being stupid and unreasonable but I was past caring. All I wanted was for him to show me attention, show me that he actually acknowledged my existence.

"Laura, shut up and listen to me!" Simon was practically shouting at me now and I flinched. If it were possible, I was aching even more now. All I wanted to do was sink into his arms but I couldn't now- I'd pushed him too far.

"It's a trap" Simon burst out suddenly, his voice sounding panicked "Please, just go," I blinked up at him and saw the fright etched upon his features. Embarrassment suddenly flushed in my cheeks, I had been so foolish and _stupid_. He looked broken. Someone who had been put back together, only to have everything fall apart again. I had been so caught up in my own self-centeredness and emotion I had forgotten the danger we were in. Gingerly I took hold of Simons hand and tugged at it, but he wouldn't budge.

"Simon, you just said we had to go..." then my eyes drifted down and saw the shackles attached to his wrists. His throat was mangled, his wrists covered in lacerations. The blood leaking from the gashes made a chilling dripping sound as it collided with the floor. How hadn't I noticed that before?

"What..." I started to say, but the words were suffocating me. I looked down at my hand and saw it was wet with blood. I studied it with a peculiar fascination- someone else's blood on my hand, as if I had been the one to inflict the wound. I took a few unsteady steps backwards, away from him, my other hand that had been clasping his own sliding from the grip. Everything suddenly felt entirely detached and surreal now, as if I was dreaming. My vision became blurred, all the noises around me suddenly sounding muffled. I blinked several times to try and ward away the nauseating sensation that was now settling over me. The sweat coating my skin was icy, clinging to me like a cold, clammy second skin. Feverish shivers were now coursing their way through my body. I collapsed to my knees, taking huge swallows of air into my lungs to try and calm myself down. It was as if I was intoxicated with terror, feeling heady and disorientated. My stomach lurched and I started to retch, this time spitting up blood. I turned my face up to look at Simon. All this time he had been consulting my face with a look of defeat and sorrow. There was a tilt of sadness to the corner of his lips that had not been there before. He knew he was going to die. But I wasn't going to allow him to, not ever. With this thought in mind, I clambered clumsily to my feet. Once steady, I stalked over to him, determination plastered across my features. Simon gave me a disbelieving look, and watched in doubt as I took the manacles imprisoning him in my hands. The metal, as had the metal from the bars before, sagged in my grasp. I easily tore the molten substance away from Simon's wrists and tossed it onto the floor where it writhed and sizzled. Simon looked utterly enthralled, his eyes wide. A crooked, incredulous smile was spreading across his lips. Before I even realised it, Simon had pulled me into his arms and I could feel the vibrations of his sobs of relief rumbling throughout my body. Then there came a deafening crack. We both whirled around and watched in fright as all around us the surfaces of the room began to split apart. Each mirror had a large split down the middle and the ceiling above us was crumbling. I heard a growl from below me and only had time to cry out Simons name and grab hold of his hand as the floor collapsed beneath our feet. My hand was ripped away from his once again as I was sent spiralling into nothingness.


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of thunder racketing through the night brought me back into consciousness. I drowsily opened my eyes and found I was laying atop a layer of silky, spongy grass. It was an exquisite jade green and the blades tickled my arms pleasantly. I fluttered my eyes open further and trailed my gaze up to the sky. A bubbling grey mass of clouds had accumulated and it leered down at the world below menacingly. I could only barely tell it was night time from the thin shards of moonlight that managed to break through the veil above. The light gave the ground an ethereal sheen, making it look like the earth had been dipped in liquid silver. Above me there were gnarled-looking trees with sparsely decorated branches. They shuddered violently in the bitter and unrelenting gusts of wind that frequently buffeted into my side. The leaves that had vacated the trees scuttled along the grass, making a dry rustling sound as they did so. I heard a crunching sound as one of them was stepped on, the sound alike to little bones being crushed beneath someone's foot. With a start, I scrambled to my feet, quickly attuned and aware. I pivoted around, searching for the source of the noise. There he was, cloaked in the darkness that the trees shadows provided. Sebastian. He slowly stepped forward, taking lazy strides towards me until he was close enough to reach out and grab me. I straightened my back and kept my ground, not moving an inch. I glared at him scornfully and didn't break eye contact, as much as my body was yearning to do so.

"Where's Simon?" I demanded immediately, not wasting time for him to antagonise me

"What, the leech?" he asked nonchalantly, clearly not engaged with the conversation as he inspected his nails "It's safe for now,"

_It, _not Simon. I refused to let this bother me- I would not play this game by his rules.

"Well then, you have nothing keeping me here so I can just go," I said, and whirled on my heel and began to turn away. Sebastian clamped his hand down on my shoulder firmly to stop me, but there deliberately wasn't enough pressure to keep me from walking away. A threat, not a demand. I didn't turn my head to face him but my feet faltered and came to a stop. A numbing chill worked its way down my spine, crystallising my limbs so they were frozen icicles.

"I can keep you here, you just don't realise it," Sebastian breathed, making the hairs on my neck stand up in alarm. Suddenly a needle-sharp pain seared through my chest, ripping through me like a burning hot dagger. I involuntarily let out a gasp of shock and pain, clawing at my chest as if trying to rip out the agony. Instead, it spread and intensified, a deadly poison pulsating in my veins.

"Sebastian- I... I think that..." I could barely breathe now, my throat was constricting me "That something went horribly wrong for you as a child, didn't it?" the last words caused me almost unbearable pain, but it was worth it. Sebastian's face flashed with hurt, which was swiftly replaced with its usual sadistic, cruel default. But from that split second that he had cracked, I could tell I was right. I felt my legs buckle and my knees hit the ground with a thud. Every inch, every nerve of my being which screaming in torment. _Laura. _My cries were becoming tighter as the poison cut off the air in my lungs. _Laura, it's not real. _Blood begin to stream from my nose, leaking down my neck. The grass that had once felt so soft was now like a thousand pins embedding themselves into my bare skin. _Please, try and remember it's not real. _Sebastian stood imposingly above me, a cruel smile twisting his lips. How could a face so angelic and beautiful be so grotesque at the same time? _Laura, wake up!_

As soon as my eyelids lifted open I was blasted by a beam of brilliant white light. I blinked several times and allowed my vision to adjust. My head throbbed and the world was spinning. Five people were leaning over me, their faces turned down to mine. They looked anxious, creases forming between all of their brows. I sat up abruptly, disconcerted by their expressions. My sight was no longer foggy and I could see who surrounded me with clarity now- Clary, Jace, Magnus, Alec and... Simon. A hot flush washed down my body and self-consciously wiped my sweaty palms on the covers of the bed I was on. I was in Simon's bedroom I presumed. I was wearing the clothes I had first had on when I'd come to the apartment, but this time they were clean and without a fleck of blood- somebody must have washed them for me. It did worry me that someone had changed me while I was unconscious, as nice as their intentions had been.

"Brilliant, she's not dead!" Magnus said, rubbing his hands together in glee "I believe you owe me a whole ton of glitter Herondale,"

"Damn it," Jace grumbled, resentfully pulling out a hefty amount of money and slapping it onto Magnus' open palm. The payment for the glitter I imagined.

"You could just use your magic and steal this stuff, so why bother making me pay?" Jace whined, crossing his arms over his chest broodingly. He was probably contemplating all the ways he could kill Magnus with a kitchen knife.

"Because it's just so much more fun annoying you dim-witted Shadowhunters," Magnus replied with a wink as he stuffed the money into his pocket.

"Well, it's nice to know that the possibility of me being dead or alive has aroused a debate," I said, my voice sounding hoarse and pained. I rolled my eyes with exaggerated exasperation. Clary and Simon exchanged amused glances. Alec, using me as a distraction, covertly took the money back from Magnus and pressed it into Jace's palm. Jace smirked, folded the paper carefully and tucked it back into his pocket.

"You're probably wondering what happened," Clary said, sympathy on her face.

"It's... I don't remember very much," I said, massaging my forehead as I did so. The headache was a persistent pain and made everything much harder to comprehend.

"Was it even real?" I asked,

"Yes, it was real," Simon answered, his eyes dancing around the room, looking anywhere but at me.

"What exactly was it?"

"Sebastian, we believe, was conducting an experiment on you," Magnus said, tapping his foot uncomfortably. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling exhausted and confused. These days my emotions were getting on top of me, blurring the lines between reality and surrealism. I recollected the cold stare of Sebastian's eyes, the predatory and vicious shine they held. But there was something else in his eyes too- pain. And that kind of pain was the kind that twisted you up inside, a poison that flowered in your heart, tainting it. I almost felt sorry for him. Then I remembered how those eyes made me feel. As though I were chained to the bottom of the ocean, drowning in their depth, feeling the life run dry from my veins. I shuddered and turned my attention back to the others who had patiently been waiting for my response.

"Umm... right, what for exactly?" I inquired quietly, looking at Simon with watchful eyes. He was still purposefully avoiding my eye contact.

"It's probably because of your ability to, well you know, set people on fire," Jace said, his face lighting up in delight at the last words. Quite clearly he liked the idea of things burning to a crisp. I remembered Clary telling me something like Jace had been infused with Heavenly Fire, so perhaps he was just curious to see if I was the same as him.

"I can do other stuff too," I said slowly, testing how the words felt in my mouth, trying to sound as modest as possible "I cut off Sebastian's air supply the other day..."

"Oh, joy," Magnus chirped, but from the tone of his voice I could tell he was bored "Well, as much as I love discussing the different methods to kill people, there is a more pressing subject at hand," I raised an eyebrow at him, confused. Clary muttered under her breath something along the lines of "Damn it, another one," which earned her a humoured look from Simon. I frowned, disgruntled, and turned my attention back to Jace who had been speaking.

"So, from what we know, Sebastian now has a spell linking his mind to yours," Jace announced, his brow furrowed as he did so.

"Does that mean he can control me?" I asked, suddenly panicked. Jace shook his head, and gave me a somewhat reassuring smile.

"It's just that I...Simon, why were you there?" I blurted out abruptly, regretting the words before they even slipped out of my mouth. There was a long, awkward pause before Simon finally answered me.

"We went looking for you and when we found Sebastian he thought I would have been of more use elsewhere," he said the sentence very quickly, not using a single word that would have been excessive. I must have looked quizzical, because Simon gave a huff of impatience before his further explanation. I felt like a child being chastised as he went on "What I mean is, is that he thought that by torturing me physically and you mentally, he would be able to get you to extract your... power," A rock hard lump had formed in my throat and all I did was close my eyes and nod my head. Tears were threatening to crack my exterior, so I kept my head bowed down and my eyes squeezed tightly shut. Eventually, everyone realised I was tired, and manoeuvred out of the room. When I opened them again, I was bluntly surprised to see Simon still there. He looked blank, his usually animated expression slack and displaying no emotion.

"Simon, please go away," I snapped; my tears on the verge on breaking free. It made me weak, to allow myself to be so easily controlled by my emotions. I gritted my teeth and gave Simon the most aggressive and hostile look I could conjure. Still, he refused to move and instead remained completely motionless.

"Get out!" I said seething, the words ripping themselves out of my throat like a growl. Simon simply crossed his arms, his whole demeanour petulant. I clambered out of the bed, infuriated, and stalked over to him.

"I want to be by myself, so GET out!" I was practically shouting at him now and I knew the others could hear me from outside but I didn't care. I just wanted to sleep, I just wanted to cry. My whole body felt heavy and sluggish, my veins dry of energy and acid burning in my limbs. Simon looked down at me, the brown curls on his head bouncing up and down as he did so. I very badly wanted to apologise to him, but I couldn't. I didn't care if it was the right thing to do, I wouldn't give in on this one. So instead, with all the energy I could muster, I threw myself at Simon. Taken by surprise he staggered backwards and threw his arms out to steady himself. There was a crash and to my horror I saw he had knocked down a photo frame. Millions of tiny shards of glass sprayed up into the air and were scattered across the floor. My stomach sunk as I comprehended what I had just done and I dropped to the floor and started brushing the shattered pieces together.  
"Simon, I'm sorry!" I said, scooping the glass into my palm and straightening up into a standing position again "I didn't... I didn't think, I'm sorry," when I looked up and saw his expression it was as though my heart had cracked into tiny pieces, like the glass of the photo frame. Simon was leant against the wall, his head hung low, clutching two pieces of ripped paper in his hands. No matter how many times I apologised to him, I couldn't be take back by actions in the same way that the paper couldn't be put back together again.

"What the hell were you doing?" he whispered, his voice trembling. It would have hurt me less if he had been shouting- but he wasn't. He just sounded resigned, pained and filled with terrible sadness. All hurts that I had inflicted upon him because I'd been impetuous and stupid again. I had grown so accustomed to my own self hatred now that it was only a very numb ache. I went over to Simon and carefully took the pieces of paper out his hands. He let them slip through his fingers without protest. It was a photo of a young woman and Simon- there was a tear just down the middle, separating the two people apart. The woman was very beautiful; I could tell that just from this picture. She had high cheekbones, a flawless pale complexion and glossy inky black hair that cascaded down her back. She, like Sebastian, had black eyes but instead of ice in them I found that hers burnt brightly with flame and passion. Both she and Simon were smiling, their expressions blissful and dreamy. They were in love; I could see that quite clearly. Simon had an arm slung over one of her shoulders and was beaming a smile with delight so pure and raw that even my frozen heart thawed out at the sight of it.  
"Simon..." I tried to shape the words in my mouth but there wasn't anything more I _could _say.

"No, no just don't, you don't have to say anything," he told me shortly, anger simmering beneath his calm exterior. For a few moments all we did was stand there and stare at each other. Then I burst into tears and dashed out of the room. The others were all clustered around together in the living room and I didn't dare meet their eyes. I simply rifled around the apartment until I found my shoes, stuffed them onto my feet and ran out of the apartment. I rubbed feverishly at my eyes to try and staunch the flood of water coming unrelentingly from them. All I did was cause destruction and pain. I was an idiot, I was selfish and I was reckless. Maybe my parents wanted to die, because then they wouldn't have to live with me. This thought sent another wave of tears streaming down my cheeks and I began to shake uncontrollably. I knew who the girl from Simons photograph was. It was Isabelle, the girl he had loved so much- until she had died. And I had only made the pain worse for him, by ripping apart a photo of her with him. Perhaps the only photo. I had destroyed everything in one action, in one split second. Now I will have to live with the consequences. I deserved to live with the consequences. After walking for what felt like days or years I realised I was lost in the twisting labyrinth of the New York streets. I careened off down an alleyway and slammed myself back against a wall, not caring for the blinding white pain that seared through my brain when my head came into contact with the hard stone. I stayed there for a while and just let the world recede away from me until finally fatigue took its toll and I fell to the ground.


	9. Chapter 9

"_Simon," Isabelle said her voice tight "What if we don't make it out alive?" Simon turned to her and forced a smile onto his face.  
"Of course we will, we're together," he said softly, taking Isabelle's hand in his own. She blinked up at him; worry still swimming in her eyes. Simon squeezed her hand reassuringly. But he couldn't help but admit that their chances of living were thin. _

"_Simon?" Isabelle said again "Promise me we'll always be together if we live through this?" Simon slowly nodded his head and bent his head down to kiss her soft lips. _

"_Always," he whispered. He gathered her in his arms, murmuring words of love and comfort. That embrace could have lasted forever. Until Simon felt Isabelle's gasp radiate through his body, until he heard the wet sound of a blade being retracted from her body. The sudden smell of fresh, gushing blood overwhelmed him. The scream Isabelle made was the most terrifying thing Simon had ever heard and it scared him to the core. He could only watch in horror as Isabelle collapsed to the ground._

When I woke up again, I wasn't shocked to see Simon sat down beside me, his legs stretched out in front of him. He was watching something intently from over in the distance and was absent-mindedly stroking my hair. I sucked in a deep breath of air and relished the moment for a few seconds before stirring. Simon quickly withdrew his hand and placed it awkwardly on his lap and I pushed myself up into a sitting position similar to his own.

"You're awake then," he murmured softly, a small smile tugging up the corners of his mouth, indenting dimples upon his cheeks.

"No, you see sometimes I just like to sleep with my eyes wide open, just to creep the crap out of people," I answered, light-hearted sarcasm dripping from my tone.

"I'm sorry...About earlier" I told him tentatively, as if one small step over the line could shatter him. Simon titled his head forward in acknowledgement and retained the small smile he had on before. There was a slant of tiredness to his eyes that hadn't been there before and dark, spidery veins had formed at his temple. Simon, noticing how long I had been staring at him, stood up suddenly and heaved me up with him. It occurred to me for the first time that I was still in the alleyway from last night. But then that left the question...

"How did I find you?" Simon said, as if reading my mind "It wasn't that hard because of, you know, sexy vampire mojo," he gave me a wry grin and I burst into laughter. It was the first time in over a year I had felt so heady and euphoric, perhaps due to my grogginess or the fact I was with a guy that made my insides turn into liquid.

"Come on, let's go," I said once the laughter had subsided and began to make my way out of the alley when Simon grabbed my forearm with urgency. I twisted myself back around to face him, horror dawning on my face, expecting some form of terror awaiting me. Instead, I was met with something else, something completely unexpected. Simon watched me for a few seconds with his rich brown eyes and then the next thing I knew he had leant into me and our lips crushed together. Adrenaline washed over me suddenly, setting every nerve in my body alight with crackling electricity. Almost instinctively, I moved my hands and settled them behind Simons head, deepening the kiss. The feel of the liquid silk of his hair beneath my fingertips sent tremors of delight down my spine and the soft caress of his lips against mine made my legs feel wobbly and unstable. A strong magnetism bound us together and I almost wanted to melt into him and never detach myself from him again. Simon gently took me by the shoulders and pushed me away slightly and then we simply stared into each other's eyes for what could have been minutes or hours. At this close proximity I could see all the intricate details of his face- the flecks of gold in his rich brown eyes, the very light spattering of freckles on his nose and a small scar just above his right eyebrow. Without consciously realising what I was doing, I traced the scar with my fingertips. Simon didn't protest, just blinked down at me with his eyes telling the story of untold anguish and heartache. I yearned to fix the pain hidden in the cold capsule of his heart but instead I dropped my hand from his head and said nothing. Simon moved his lips, as if to say something, but stopped dead in his tracks. I felt his hands that were still rested on my shoulder go rigid and his whole body suddenly stiffed with tension. His face contorted into a pained, tormented expression and his eyes rolled back so I could only see the whites of his eyes.

"I saw him," he managed to spit out, just before he collapsed to the ground and stayed there, un-moving. I was petrified- my legs didn't have the will to move and all I could do was stand there looking down at him with absolute horror. My legs buckled beneath me and I slid to the ground.

"Simon, oh god what the hell," I cried out, panic settling over me like a cold sheet "Simon please get up, I'll get you home, okay?" Simon jerkily nodded his head several times, as if someone were violently shaking him. I took his hand and tenderly stroked it in what I hoped was a comforting manner "What happened?"

"I saw him," Simon replied gently, watching me gingerly as if I was about to strike him down "I saw him, in your eyes,"

"Who?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Sebastian,"

_I had always thought that the truth should always been spoken, not matter what would could entail afterwards. _Maybe I was wrong; maybe it was better to be blissfully ignorant, sheltered from the truth that would shatter you.

"Simon, please tell me I'm still... _me,"_ I cried out, my voice thin and wavering "Please, please, please I don't want to be him," I grabbed him tightly by the arms, my eyes pleading with his. Simon blinked at me and said nothing for a few moments, his features coloured with poignancy.

"Of course you're still you," he told me eventually, sounding sincere and determined "No one can take that from you, okay? Not even Sebastian,"

"Okay-Yeah," I smiled half-heartedly up at him and was briefly jerked back into the memory of his lips moulded against mine "I just... Simon I-" I couldn't compose the right words to describe how I was feeling toward both Sebastian's sudden acute presence in my mind and also... how I felt about Simon. After he had almost immediately passed out after our embrace, I hadn't had much time to soak in the fact that _he had kissed me. _It seemed so silly that the kiss had exhilarated me so much more than the rest of the week's events had. I snapped out of my reverie and shook my head back and forth vigorously trying to clear my head. It felt as though it was swirling with a torrent of cluttered, disorganised thoughts. I bounced up to my feet and Simon swiftly stood up as well. The silence was stifling, so instead of standing around awkwardly I stalked out of the alley, expecting Simon to follow. He did, scuffing his high-top shoes on the concrete as he did so. After warming up to each other slightly, the walk back to the apartment became surprisingly pleasant. Instead awkward small talk, Simon and I discussed animatedly about a variety of different, irrelevant topics. I realised the full extent of how much of a nerd he was, but I was unfazed and strangely amused by it. We decided to take a long detour down to Central Park at one point and sat down together on one of the benches scattered around. I shifted uncomfortably on the bench—the decaying wood was chipped and jutted out in several place, prodding my side. It was already dusk. Rich, creamy oranges and purple hues were painted across the sky. The sun was a mere golden smudge, far off in the distance, already disappearing behind the trees. The lake glittered like numberless jewels of every colour, with only a few ripples disturbing the smooth surface of the water.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Simon breathed, his fingers absent-mindedly tracing the patterns of a fallen leaf he had picked up from the ground "The park, I mean," I titled my head forward in assent, my gaze still captivated by the natural beauty of the world around me. We stayed there for a while, even after night had enveloped the sky. The willow we were sitting beneath swayed peacefully in the wind. Occasionally showers of leaves splashed with golden brown tones rained down upon us from it. I finally turned to look at Simon, whose face was turned up to the sky, basking in the moons silvery sheen. The light blanched out his complexion, casting dark shadows across his face and making him look like the most ethereal and beautiful creature I had ever seen.

"Simon?" I said faintly, just loud enough for Simon to pry his eyes upon and look at me.

"Can't you see I'm trying to embrace nature here?" Simon mumbled, a smile tilting the corners of his mouth up as he joked with me.

"I thought I'd wake you up because I believe you are already truly at one with the trees," I replied in a falsely dreamy tone "and also, I'm cold,"

"I was just enjoying life without computers or game consoles- it was a really beautiful moment,"

"_Really?_" I asked disbelievingly.

"Oh god no, it's been hell," Simon coughed out between fits of laughter, his eyes bright and gleeful.

"You can't laugh at your own joke, that's just vain," I teased, jabbing him in the side as I did so and then ended up erupting into giggles of my own. Eventually the laughter subsided and then, for the second time that day, our lips met. This kiss was short and sweet, just the simple innocent attraction between each us and nothing deeper than that. Nevertheless I was still breathless by the time our lips parted and I realised I had been clutching Simon's hands very tightly. I unclasped them abruptly and self-consciously wiped my palms on my jeans and looked around for something to do. Simon let out a puff of annoyance and stood up, poised and ready to go. I reluctantly got up myself, still scanning the park until my eyes locked upon a figure in the distance. Judging by the way their silhouette was bobbing up and down I could tell they were making their way over to us. Simon snapped his head up, his eyes suddenly watchful and alert as the person made their way over to us. I still couldn't make out their face in the pale illumination, but when I looked up at Simon I saw a flutter of recognition flicker over his features. His senses, as a vampire, were a lot more attuned than my blunt, human (or not so human) ones so of course he could see the persons face already.

He swore venomously under his breath "We've got to get out here now," I couldn't help but think _here we go again. _Finally, I was able to make out the figures face. It was one of a young girl, her skin without a single crease or pore and her features still had a hint of chubbiness to them. Her hair was a pale blonde and had a coarse, straw-like quality to it. Even at this distance, I could feel the cold, cruel malevolence radiating from her, similarly to how you could sense evil pulsating from the dark.

"Simon, who is that?" I whispered, edging closer to him as I did so. Simon ground his teeth together and didn't reply, completely transfixed by this stranger. There was a blaze in his eyes I had never seen in him before; hatred so raw it was painful to look at and terrified me to the core. There was such animosity emanating from him I almost flinched away, scared not only by this strange girl but by the animal, predatory side of Simon that was emerging from him as she neared.

"I suppose pleasantries in order" the girl said coldly, coming to a stop a couple of metres in front of us. I saw there was a gap in between her two front teeth, something that would have made her look endearing had it not been for the pitiless look in her eyes. She shrugged when neither of us said anything "I'm Maureen, but of course you already know who I am,"


	10. Chapter 10

The name prickled at a memory in my head and I mulled it over in silence until it dawned on me. Maureen had been the one to kill Isabelle, the one to murder the young woman Simon had loved so very dearly, the one to smother out a life that had once burnt so fiercely. I turned to Simon and urgently tugged at his arm, but he remained rooted to the spot.

"We have to get out of here _now,_" I hissed, dread turning the hairs on my arms up.

"Oh no, I'm afraid not," Maureen giggled, an eerie tinkling noise that would have sounded warm had it not been for the sadistic and icy look in her eyes "You see, I've come for what's rightfully mine," I raised my eyebrow in incredulity and finally managed to get Simon to move away. I turned away from Maureen, and looped my arm through Simons.

As I made to walk away, I shouted over my shoulder at her "You do realise, by the way, that what you just said is...cliché, right?" already my immense dislike for this girl- a girl that I barely knew- was taking possession of my actions "Be a bit more original, next time," when I turned to face the front again I let out a gasp of surprise to see Maureen was there with only an inch of space between us.

"You little _bitch,"_ she seethed "Sebastian said I couldn't touch you, but you know what?" I didn't say anything, shocked into silence to find out this girl worked with Sebastian. I certainly didn't let it show on my face though, which was determinedly fixed into a scowl.

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him," she finished with a sneer and before I could do or say anything she backhanded me with such force I was sent flying into the air. For a few moments, time slowed and I was suspended in the air, watching the stars spin around above me, littered around like someone had scattered a handful of glistening crystals across the night sky. Then I hit the ground with a crack, ripping all of the air out of my lungs. I tried to lift my head but it was slammed back down onto the ground, sending shots of pain down my neck. I tasted dirt and blood, a gritty and bitter tasting concoction. I received another heavy blow to my side and a sickening shattering sound resonated through the night. A shrill scream regurgitated itself from my throat and I started to gag, spitting out blood.

"Simon," I managed to croak out, trying to blink away the darkness invading my vision that was blotting all else out. I felt cold hands hook themselves beneath my armpits and haul me to the side, to safety. I fluttered my gaze upwards and was met with Simon's cool, steady stare. I groaned and clutched my side which was searing with a white hot agony that made all other senses in my body feel dull and unresponsive.

"Simon, stay with me okay?" I said, my voice tinged with strain "I should be able get up soon, just be with me until I can,"

"Always," Simon said softly, a look of reminiscence etched upon his features, as if he were echoing something he'd said to someone else once. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Maureen swooped down and grabbed Simon by the shoulders. I let out a yelp of dismay as she lifted Simon up as if he were weightless and hurled him through the air. He twisted and writhed in mid-air until he collided with a tree with a blood-curdling crack. He toppled to the ground and remained there, completely still and unmoving. Maureen cackled with chilling delight, as if she were a cruel, spoilt child cracking the limbs of an already long-broken plastic toy. I screamed out Simons name and icy fury washed over me. An instinct that ran deeper than blood inside of me suddenly took over and without a second thought I dug my nails into the soil beneath my hands and pushed down at it. Maureen gave me a quizzical look and moved to reach for my throat when suddenly the earth underneath her feet blasted apart. She flailed in the air for a few moments, before landing clumsily on her feet. She staggered around for a few moments then let out a guttural wail of rage before charging towards me at blindingly fast pace. Alarmed, I instinctively threw my arms up to shield myself, my body bracing for impact. Instead of the attack I had expected, I heard a hideous screech and saw Maureen once again thrown to the side by a hulk of elevated earth. I scrambled to my feet, pushing off the ground with shaking hands and pelted my way over to Simon. I didn't dare look over my shoulder and instead pumped my arms and legs as fast as could, until they were burning with exertion. But Maureen was faster than me. A blow from behind sent me sprawling to the ground and from the snapping sound that reverberated through the night I could tell I wasn't getting up again. An inhuman, gravelly cry raked its way out of my mouth and a hot, sticky fluid spilled down my forehead. I tried crawling towards Simon but a foot came down, hard, on my arm. I watched in revulsion as blood began to weep out in copious amounts from the flesh. I could see one of my bones jutting out. This time, I couldn't conjure the energy to make a noise. My mouth just fell open in a soundless scream of agony. I watched helplessly as Maureen sauntered over to Simon, bent down and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. Every inch of my body shuddered in excruciating pain, as if I was being tortured until each exquisite drop of agony had been extracted from me. My vision kept blinking in and out of focus, like I was watching the world through the lens of a camera taking snapshots. No oxygen was coming into my lungs, I couldn't breathe. I needed to breathe, I needed air. Please, please help me. I didn't want to die. There was a sharp, tingling sensation in my fingertips as they went numb. Acid began to spread rapidly through my veins, leaving them dry and aching, leeching them of my life. I let a soft, pained moan slip from my lips, allowing even more oxygen to spill from my lungs. It was suffocating, terrifying. I almost wanted to feel deaths embrace now, to feel its silken cloak caress my skin and take me to a place of bliss and nothingness. My eyelids fluttered shut and there was pain, so much pain. Pain, coursing its way through my body, draining me of will and spirit. Please, no more. There is no more. I am gone. I am just an empty shell, hollow through and through, soul vacant. Now I am simply an old and used toy of Maureen's now. There is nothing left to torture out of me. I am broken, forgotten. A cold hand press against my neck and I was unwillingly dragged back into reality. I blinked up at the face looming above me with bleary eyes.

"I still have much worse to do with to with you yet," Maureen told me with a perverted smile twisting her lips "So I won't let you die, not for now anyway,"

"Leave...Simon... alone," I wheezed, my voice bitter in spite of my agony. Maureen simply shook her head, her eyes twinkling with malice. Then the pressure on my neck was gone. My head dropped back and hit the hard earth with a thump. I felt my grip on reality begin to lessen and the darkness that had been beckoning to come started to close over me. All I wanted to feel was Simon's arms around me, rocking me back and forth until I fell into the dark. But I would never see him again. My eyes fell shut and on the backs of my eyelids I found Simon's kind brown eyes, imprinted there. The last thing in my mind was a single thought. A single thought which swirled through my head over and over again until finally I succumbed to sleep. The thought that I had failed Simon; the thought that I had given up on him. I felt my body slump. And then I was lost to the night.


End file.
